People are involved in a number of endeavors which require that their bodies be protected. Many athletic participants, for example, are required to wear helmets, which helmets are provided with padding for protection of their heads. Similarly, other body parts may be in the need of padding during athletic events, such as the chest protectors of baseball catchers or umpires.
Military helmets, in particular, provide a special need for padded helmets. There, usually the inside of a helmet is provided with a plurality of pads which may be selectively positioned in the helmet dependent on the desire of the soldier. In addition, individual of the pads may be replaced, as needed or desired, when they become worn or otherwise damaged by moisture or the like.
One type of pad which is currently being used for these types of applications includes a foam material which is encapsulated in a plastic bag. One side of the foam is attached to a fabric material intended to be in a position to contact the head of the user when the pad is positioned in a helmet. Another layer of foam is attached to the other side of the bag and a loop fabric is attached to that foam layer and is adapted to be attached to hook pads positioned in the helmet to form the VELCRO® connection.
These pads not only require a tedious and expensive manufacturing process, but also are subject to premature deteriorization. In particular, with frequent removals and replacements, the integrity of the plastic bag can be invaded thereby rendering the pad useless for its intended purpose. Moreover, because of the generally shape of these pads, pads of three different sizes are required to properly fill a conventional military helmet. One size is typically used for the crown of the helmet; two trapezoidal pads are used for the brow and nape, front and back of the helmet, respectively; and four oblong pads are typically provided at the sides. Thus, three different types of pads must be inventoried for pad replacement purposes.